JOIN USThe Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) on Monday appointed Shri Mahant Swami Keshavjivandasji Maharaj as a guru and president of BAPS.
The appointment of Mahant Swami was necessary due to the demise of 95-year-old Pramukh Swami, who died on Saturday due to chest infection and critical heart condition. Pramukh Swami had been leading BAPS since 1971 and had named Mahant Swami as his successor in a letter to his disciples.
Born on September 13, 1933, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Mahant Keshavjivandasji’s parents hail from Anand in central Gujarat. Known as Vinu Bhagat, Mahant Swami’s father was Manibhai Narayanbhai Patel and mother was Dahiben.
After his schooling, Mahant Swami moved to Anand. He took his parshad diksha in 1957 and final diksha (Bhagawati diksha) in 1961 at Gondal. As he was made Mahant of Dadar Mandir in Mumbai, people started knowing him as Mahant Swami.
Meanwhile, the flow of visitors to Sarangpur to pay tribute to Pramukh Swami continued, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a visit to pay his respects soon after unfurling the national flag from the Red Fort. In an emotional speech, Modi said that while others may have lost their guru, he had lost his father. Modi considered Pramukh Swami as his mentor.